Chapter 1

P/N let me know if there's any mistakes and I will try to fix them

It's awful…"

The adventurers grimace in unison the moment they see the scene.

Reddish-black stains are splattered everywhere.

In the center, sprawled like a doll, is a corpse.

It's the body of a fellow adventurer, pitifully shredded—or rather

punctured—by countless stab wounds.

I have no words as I stand rooted to the ground before this scene.

"No way…"

It's Welf who spoke. He and the rest of my party have belatedly

joined the group of adventurers who gathered after hearing about the

incident. He draws his brows together as he lets out a groan.

Our current location is the eighteenth floor of the Dungeon.

We've returned to this safety point to seek treatment for the wounded

members of our joint party—born from a faction alliance between

Hestia Familia and several others—after we finally managed to

overcome the Irregular moss huge we encountered in the lower levels,

where we'd headed for our expedition. Right now, we should be

planning a celebration to commemorate our safe return alongside

Modi Familia and Magni Familia, who we met along the way.

That plan, however, has gone out the window with the appearance of

this dead body.

"Oh yeah…it's definitely a murder. This is the work of a human not a

monster…"

Bors, the head of Rivira, clicks his tongue as he stares down at the

corpse. He and the noisy group of adventurers are gathered at the foot

of an enormous island that rises from the marshlands on the outskirts

of the town.

He's right. The wounds on the body are far too clean to have been

inflicted by a monster's fangs or claws. This could have been done

only by an adventurer's blade. Most likely, the lethal blow was what

left a bloodstained hole in the adventurer's neck.

The entire corpse is covered in cuts that speak to the ferocity of the

attack. There are wounds from a blunt weapon, too, including crushed

bones and broken limbs. The bloodshot eyes are wide open…as if the

adventurer had come face-to-face with something terrifying but was

unable to do anything to fend it off.

"Ugh…" Haruhime groans, pressing a hand to her mouth.

"Please don't look, Lady Haruhime," Mikoto says, wrapping her arms

around her friend's shoulders and blocking the horrible sight from her

view.

Caught up in the wall of spectators, Lilly and Aisha exchange grim

glances. Nearby, Ouka is standing tight-lipped while Daphne frowns.

But the healer Cassandra is paler than anyone.

"Hey, Bell, are you okay?" Welf asks, sounding worried.

"…"

I can't find the words to answer him. I'm just staring in a daze at the

adventurer's corpse.

My heart is beating uncontrollably.

Of course I'm shaken. Being at the site of another adventurer's

death—at the scene of a murder—is a huge shock to body and soul.

But just as powerful is the feeling of dread that dampens my cheeks

with clammy sweat.

"It was Gale Wind! She was here! She did this…!"

My breath catches at those words.

Yes, indeed, the name causing all this uproar among the adventurers

is none other than Gale Wind.

"I saw it! I saw a hooded elf stab Jan like a crazy person and then run

off!" screams the male werewolf, a resident of Rivira and the first to

discover the corpse.

As he speaks the name of his deceased acquaintance, he hugs the

body, drawing the gazes of Bors and the gathered adventurers.

"I've seen Gale Wind once before, with a bunch of Astrea Familia

members. Those guys were as strong as monsters. Her face was

hidden the whole time…but the sky-blue eyes I saw deep inside the

mask were the same eyes I saw today!"

Perhaps because he is reliving the experience, the werewolf

adventurer is shaking from head to toe as he speaks.

There's no doubt about it—the description matches hers.

But I still can't believe it.

I don't want to believe it.

How could Gale Wind—how could Lyu—do something like this?

"I'm sure of it! Gale Wind killed Jan!" the werewolf shouts.

Just as I'm about to shoot back, "Wait a minute now!" another

adventurer speaks up.

"Now that you mention it…I saw someone in a mantle running across

the fields."

"Oh, me too! They went straight to the Central Tree…and down onto

the floors below!"

I lose my chance to interject as the witnesses speak up one after the

next. It seems that multiple adventurers saw someone who looked like

Gale Wind from various vantage points in Rivira, which is carved into

a cliff and has excellent views of the surrounding terrain. Lilly, Welf,

Mikoto, and Haruhime—all who know about Lyu's background—are

stone-faced.

For some reason, Aisha is silent, too.

"…But didn't Lady Leon of the Gale Wind die five years ago? And

even if she's still alive, why would she be causing trouble now?"

Mikoto asks. She's among those who were won over by Lyu's

struggle, and she's made up her mind to express her doubts.

"…I've heard rumors that the Guild and Loki Familia are planning a

large-scale operation in the near future. Word on the street is that they

discovered the secret hideout of the Evils' Remnants," Bors says in an

uncharacteristically serious tone.

The words secret hideout give me an idea.

Knossos, the man-made dungeon.

The violent hunters who captured Wiene and the other Xenos were

using that awful place as a base camp. It's a real incubator of Evil.

There is definitely some connection between the Evil that grew rank

in Orario five years ago and Lyu, who was a member of Astrea

Familia. I heard it from the elf herself on this very same eighteenth

floor.

"If Gale Wind is alive and taking advantage of this new campaign by

the Guild to become active again…this could all make sense."

"…!"

"Gale Wind is a crazy adventurer, driven by hatred for those who

killed her familia members to crush anyone suspicious without giving

them a chance to argue back. She'll kill anyone she deems to fall in

the gray area…including merchants and Guild members," Bors

continues, crossing his arms and gazing around at the crowd.

"Plenty of residents of this town know all about Evil. Actually,

everyone here is a shady character. We're here in this Rogue Town

because we couldn't make it on the surface with the Guild's

crackdowns, and we had no other choice."

I've heard about the underground markets that exist here in Rivira,

beyond the Guild's oversight, engaging in rampant illegal trading

with adventurers. There are rumors that it's possible to buy illegal

goods and even rare items like Status Thief, which is made from the

ichor of deities. It goes without saying that it's all a gray so dark it's

almost black.

Setting aside adventurers like us who stop here on our way to take on

various floors, the people who live in this town are all involved in

risky business. Bors's words must have hit home, because almost

everyone standing around me shudders.

"Gale Wind may have decided that all of us, including Jan lying over

there on the ground, fall on the black side," Bors says.

"Th-this isn't a joke, Bors! Sure, we've done more shady things in our

day than we can count, but are you gonna stand for murder on the

basis of suspicion alone?" the animal-person proprietor of an inn

shouts.

"Yeah, we may be bad, but we're not connected to the Evils'

Remnants!" an Amazonian merchant yells in a voice so shrill it's

practically a scream.

That brings all the other residents of Rivira to start shouting as well.

In an instant, the level of excitement and the anger toward Gale Wind

have ballooned.

"Bors, let's get her!"

I can't believe what I just heard.

"Jan, our fellow townsman, has been killed for something that makes

no sense at all! Even if we live in Rogue Town, can't we at least

fulfill our duty to the community and avenge his death?!"

Perhaps out of anger over the death of his acquaintance, the werewolf

who first discovered the body is arguing furiously, his face bright red.

As the heat of his argument spreads to the people around him, Bors

crosses his burly arms and responds in a troubled voice.

"What you say is true…but I put my own life first. What happens to

other adventurers is no concern of mine. You think I'm going to go

after a Level Four monster like Gale Wind, who's blacklisted and on

the run?"

"Speaking of her being on the run, isn't there a bounty on her head?

The money some of the merchant associations put up should still be

up for grabs, right?"

"Now that you mention it, I think the bounty was…eighty million

valis?"

"

—Listen up, everyone. I'm putting together a group to take her

down!"

On hearing this, Bors waves his hands energetically.

"We will avenge our fellow townsman! We won't let anyone else take

her head! The bounty money is ours!!" he shouts.

"Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Bors has clearly become engrossed by his selfish desire. All he can

see in his eyes is money. I can only frown. His words worry me. Welf

and Mikoto seem to feel the same way. Each of the adventurers

gathered makes his or her own selfish calculations, many shouting

passionately.

All the evidence points to Gale Wind.

It's a shame, but that's the truth.

Another reason I feel so confused is because what Bors said reminded

me of something.

It was something Lyu said to me once.

I let my emotions take over, and I wrought my vengeance.

It wasn't even justice.

If Lyu felt she'd discovered the Evil she couldn't forgive, and her

cruel desire for revenge had returned…that may well have been

motive enough.

Lyu, could you really have done this?

The image of a single elf standing before a mountain of corpses

covered in fresh blood rises in my memory.

Her eyes carry a sense of brutality, as if she has been consumed by a

cruel storm of dark emotions.

I quickly brush away the disturbing vision.

"Wait a minute!"

This time, I speak the words out loud, making everyone turn toward

me.

There's no way Lyu would do something like this.

At the very least, I, who have heard her story, have to voice my

doubts!

I still remember her expression, so full of pain and emptiness.

"Isn't it too soon to assume this is the work of Gale Wind?"

"What, are you accusing me of lying?!" the werewolf adventurer

snaps back.

Something else is bothering me.

I confront him head-on.

"How did you know it was Gale Wind?"

"I already told you! I've seen Gale Wind before! She and the criminal

who killed Jan are one and the same!"

"How long have you been living here in Rivira?"

The werewolf, who has been spouting off angrily, looks at me

dubiously in response to my odd question.

"Huh? I've been here for years! You may not have noticed, but we've

crossed paths in town quite a few times, Mr. Super Rookie!"

"So you were here four months ago when that incident occurred?"

"What of it?"

Yes, something is bothering me. And with the werewolf's response to

my last question, the vague doubt turns to certainty.

Something here is off.

Properly speaking, it was three and a half months ago that the Black

Goliath showed up. Lyu fought with us against it, right alongside the

townsfolk of Rivira. This werewolf has just said quite clearly that he

was here when that incident occurred. It doesn't make sense that he

didn't notice Lyu at that time.

Of course it would be impossible to remember all the adventurers who

were involved, since fierce battles were taking place all throughout

the floor. But Lyu was right there alongside Asfi, holding back the

floor boss the whole time. What's more, she used her powerful magic

to fight it. There's no way he wouldn't remember that.

Given the situation, it's possible that no one wanted to turn her over

to the authorities at that time. But Lyu's past didn't come to light after

the incident, either. Judging by how Bors and the others are acting

now, none of them realizes that Gale Wind was the adventurer who

fought alongside them on the eighteenth floor.

But if her disguise was actually that perfect…could it be possible that

the werewolf didn't know it was her when she was fighting so

prominently during that incident, yet he recognized her here despite

working with such limited information?

If possible, I don't want to doubt him.

I don't want to, but…

This guy is lying…!

I stare back at the werewolf, who's threatening me with his fierce

gaze.

He doesn't know Gale Wind.

Something akin to an adventurer's intuition whispers the thought to

me.

"…Rabbit Foot, are you saying the criminal isn't Gale Wind?" Bors

asks.

Many of the adventurers encircling me have suspicion in their eyes.

Perhaps it's because the residents of Rivira trust the werewolf that

they feel skeptical of my claim. That goes for Bors as well.

They're weighing the fugitive Gale Wind against the words of their

fellow townsman.

It's clear who they trust more. No one is going to back me up when I

defend the blacklisted elf.

If you want to say something, go ahead and say it. That's what the

eyes surrounding me on all sides seem to be saying.

I almost back down, but I hold my ground.

Lyu wouldn't do this. That's what I believe.

"Gale Wind—

"

I'm about to say that she's not the criminal when Aisha reaches a

hand out and pulls me back.

"Stop."

"What?!"

"Sorry to put a damper on things. Now, what were you all saying?"

Aisha has stepped forward as if to take my place, and with her arms

crossed beneath her breasts, she prods the crowd to continue.

Bors and the other guys are ogling her ample bosom and deep

cleavage as she stands there with a bewitching smile on her plush lips.

Bors starts in surprise after noticing the disgusted looks and clicking

tongues of the women in the crowd, and then, after a deliberate cough,

he continues the conversation as if nothing has happened. It's like

he's forgotten I exist.

Aisha, who's totally used to confronting rough characters, silently

jerks her chin as if to say, Let's get out of here, but I can't resist

pressing her to tell me why she stopped me.

Just when I'm about to, though, someone pulls my right shoulder

back.

"Calm down, Bell."

"Welf…"

Now he's arguing with me, too.

I close my mouth and nod softly as he looks down from a head's

length above me with that big-brother look.

Our whole party steps away from where Bors and the others are

talking about the hunt for Gale Wind.

"What do you think you're doing, leader?" Aisha asks as soon as

we're far enough away. "It's not a wise idea to stand up for that girl."

"Lilly agrees. Given what's happened, we need to avoid making

enemies here."

"But Miss Aisha, Lilly—

"

"Who knows, people could even start suspecting that we're connected

to the crime," Lilly continues.

"!"

Lilly's words jolt me.

I was so caught up in thinking about Lyu that I hadn't even

considered that possibility.

…Aisha is right. I've failed them as a leader.

Even if I wanted to stand up for Lyu, I should have reacted more

coolly. I was on the verge of dragging Welf and the others into

something risky.

I feel deeply ashamed of my immature conduct.

"Damn, right when I thought you'd grown up a little, you go and act

like a kid again," Aisha says.

"Sorry…" I say, looking at the ground and hanging my head.

Aisha laughs.

"It's not such a bad thing if you stay like that deep down."

"Huh?"

"You get all worked up for someone who's not even a part of your

familia…Isn't that what other people like about you? I'm the total

opposite, of course."

I'm surprised to hear her say that.

When I look around, I see Haruhime and Mikoto breaking into smiles

while Ouka closes his eyes and grins, Daphne hunches her shoulders,

and Cassandra looks down shyly.

Lilly and Welf are smiling broadly, too.

"Plus, if that straitlaced elf was here, I bet I know what she'd say."

Aisha turns up her lips in a totally unconvincing impression of Lyu.

"She'd say, Mr. Cranell, that's a virtue of yours."

The light has gone out in the mum-shaped clusters of crystal on the

ceiling of the eighteenth floor, and the sunset-less evening of the

Dungeon has fallen.

We've returned to central Rivira and are gathered in the room where

we're staying. The place we picked is Willy's Inn, a cheap hotel built

into a cave. For the price, it's one of Rivira's nicer spots, and the

room we're in now can easily accommodate ten or more guests.

We've met up with Chigusa, who's been resting to recover from the

parasitic vines that were planted in her by the enhanced moss huge.

"Based on the evidence, Gale Wind is the prime

suspect…Unfortunately, that fact can't be changed," Lilly says,

turning to the rest of us as we stand surrounded by bare rock walls

and magic-stone lamps.

"But just like Mr. Bell said, a few points are troubling. Putting aside

Miss Lyu's motives for the moment…While Mr. Bell was arguing

with the others, Miss Daphne and I snuck a closer look at the corpse."

"Now that you mention it, I noticed you two were up to something…"

Welf says, a bit surprised.

"To be honest, I didn't really want to." Daphne sighs reluctantly.

I had noticed that Lilly mysteriously disappeared when Aisha

interrupted my argument. It seems they'd quickly decided on a plan

among themselves.

Lilly says it was a big help that I was diverting the crowd's

attention…but as I stand next to this cunning trio, I can't help feeling

that I'll never live up to the true brains of the party.

"There were stab marks all over the body…But among those random

blade wounds, there were also sharp wounds running down the arms

and legs. I hate to call them clean…but they seem to have been

inflicted with incredible speed."

"In other words…"

"It's extremely likely that those specific wounds were inflicted by

Gale Wind. I just got a quick glimpse from a distance, but they looked

almost identical to the ones from her shortswords that I saw before."

A tense expression spreads over Mikoto's face as Lilly speaks. Aisha

continues the explanation.

"Most likely, she severed the tendons on his four limbs so he couldn't

escape."

"Wh-why would she do something like that…?" Haruhime asks, her

fox's tail quivering at the shocking image.

"What I'm about to say is pure speculation…but I'll bet she

questioned the adventurer," Aisha answers.

Welf and Ouka, who have been listening to the conversation, gasp in

surprise.

"No way! You mean the elf just extracted some information from the

guy?"

"And once she got it, she left…before going down to the lower levels,

as the witnesses said?"

"Well, there's plenty of reason to think she killed him after she made

him talk," Daphne answers, as if that would be a totally normal thing

to do. "But…isn't there something fishy about the act of stabbing him

all over so blatantly, as if to put Gale Wind's anger and hatred on

display?"

In other words, it could be a setup.

Someone else might have come across the adventurer Lyu left behind

after her interrogation, killed him, and then stabbed him all over to

cast suspicion on Lyu.

That's Daphne's unspoken implication.

"W-wow, Daphne…You're just like a detective!" Cassandra says

excitedly.

"Shut up," she snaps back, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Ergh!" the rebuffed Cassandra squeals.

Aisha continues her explanation.

"The townsfolk in Rivira are after Gale Wind's head. They're going

to send out a hunting party for sure."

"That's terrible…" Chigusa murmurs, speaking for us all.

For a moment, silence takes hold of the room.

"If we want to clear Miss Lyu of suspicion…the most important thing

right now is to get to her before they do," Lilly says, wrapping up the

discussion.

We have to reach her faster than anyone else and find out what really

happened. That's the first step.

Lilly looks straight at me with her chestnut-brown eyes as she

explains what we need to do.

"…"

Everyone else's gazes gravitate naturally toward me as well. For a

moment, I concentrate all my energy into my tightening fist.

What information did Lyu extract from the dead adventurer, and why

did she head to the Dungeon? What in the world did she learn?

If someone else is the real criminal, why did they want to pin the

blame on Gale Wind?

There's so much we don't understand.

But if she's involved in this incident…then my answer has already

been decided.

"Let's go find Miss Lyu."

If she's been swept up in some sort of scheme, I want to help her.

Lilly, Welf, Mikoto, Haruhime, Ouka, and Chigusa all nod in

agreement. It's time for us to repay our debt to the masked elf who

has helped us countless times. From the mortal fight with the Goliath

floor boss to the War Game and even during the battle in Daedalus

Street against the Xenos, she has proven herself an invaluable ally

time and time again.

Seeing that the boat has already left shore, Daphne and Cassandra get

on board with the plan as well.

"Okay then, let's start getting ready!" Welf says, pounding his fist

into his palm in an attempt to change the mood in the room.

That's the signal for everyone to plunge into preparations.

"This probably means we should join the hunting party from Rivira,

right?" asks Ouka.

"Yeah. Even if we leave before them, the Dungeon is too big. Our

chances of finding Lyu by searching randomly are miniscule," Lilly

replies.

"We have no idea what floor she's on…" Chigusa agrees. Haruhime

finishes the thought.

"So we use the power of the crowd and start by finding some leads as

to where she is…?"

"Exactly, Lady Haruhime. But in order to reach Lady Lyu first, we'll

have to get ahead of the hunting party at some point…" Mikoto

responds.

Welf and Cassandra start inspecting our equipment, while some of the

others begin packing for the search. I'm standing slightly to the side,

watching over these encouraging preparations, when Aisha sidles up

to me.

"Bell Cranell."

"Yes?"

"I think you know this, but the entire conversation that just happened

was pure speculation. It's the interpretation that suits us—No, it's

what suits you the best…It's entirely possible that elf killed the

adventurer herself."

"…"

"Just make sure you remember that."

I feel like she knows something. Something about Lyu…Something

about the current situation.

I gaze at the Amazon's back as she flips her long black hair. My heart

is beating erratically.

"Great…" the girl muttered, pushing her glasses up with one finger.

Her pure-white mantle quivered. The light of a magic-stone lamp

glinted gently off her aqua-blue hair. One section of her bangs was

dyed snow white, and she held up a sharply glinting silver dagger in

one hand.

As Asfi Al Andromeda peered around, her sandals decorated with

golden wings chafed against the floor.

A cold draft floated past.

It was the distinctive chill of the subterranean dungeon, where not a

speck of sunlight penetrated.

She wasn't in the "natural" dungeon that sprawled beneath Orario,

however.

She was in Knossos, the man-made dungeon.

Asfi was leading Hermes Familia through the maze built by the

cursed descendants of the legendary craftsman Daedalus.

"I thought this was going to be an easy job, sneaking along behind

Loki Familia as they advanced through Knossos, checking out the

paths they'd already cleaned up…but this place is crawling with

monsters!"

The ground in front of Asfi and the others was strewn with the

corpses of monsters that mere moments earlier had been locked in

fierce battle. As if in response to Asfi's sigh, one of the bodies that

had a crack in its magic stone dissolved into ash.

While Hestia Familia was gone on its expedition, some of the other

familias were cooperating with the upper echelons of the Guild to

secretly launch Operation Conquer Knossos. The Guild had probed

into the man-made dungeon after the crimes of Ikelos Familia, headed

by the brutal hunter Dix Perdix, brought its existence to light,

eventually determining it wasn't something that could be ignored. So

as not to raise the suspicions of the townsfolk, who were still

recovering from the effects of the recent Xenos incident, the operation

was being carried out on a top secret basis by a few select familias.

Hermes Familia was one of them.

"I knew they were capturing the Xenos alive…but I didn't realize

those Ikelos Familia guys were raising other monsters free-range. Or

do you think they let them loose because they predicted we'd come

down here?"

Asfi and the other members of the familia had been briefed about the

Xenos by Hermes and were familiar with the whole situation.

As a result, they'd imagined a place where monsters from the

Dungeon were being captured and kept. However, they hadn't

expected to keep bumping into monsters every time they tried to

advance down a path, exactly like in the real Dungeon. As she stood

surrounded by the cold stone walls that made up the maze, Asfi let out

three of her habitual sighs.

Something else was irritating her as well.

"Asfiiii! That masked elf has gone crazy! Wasn't she supposed to be

backing us up?"

"Believe me—I'm aware…"

Lyu had been their lifeline, but now she was gone.

As the chienthrope girl screamed at her, Asfi grumbled at the long-

gone elf.

"According to our agreement, you weren't supposed to act on your

own…Right, Leon?"

The day before Hestia Familia's operation to return the Xenos to the

Dungeon began, Asfi had made Lyu Leon a promise.

"I've heard that the surviving Evils' Remnants are hiding out in

Knossos. As soon as this situation is cleaned up, I'll search the dungeon

and gather the information you want."

Later, Lyu had come to Asfi with a request.

"I want to take part in your search," she'd said.

This request had been unexpected, but Asfi had been happy about it.

There was no harm in bringing along extra forces if she had to go into

that man-made dungeon with its shady past. All the better if it was

Gale Wind.

Now that powerful helper had disappeared.

Plus, at Hermes's bidding, Aisha had joined up with Bell Cranell's

group…If she had been here, things might have been different.

Aisha was a newcomer who, on paper, didn't yet belong to any

faction and also happened to be Hermes Familia's trump card.

Even if they were to make a mistake in Operation Conquer Knossos,

her joining up with Hestia Familia would serve as insurance to make

sure the boy and his party didn't get involved. But Aisha was Aisha,

meaning she probably would have joined their expedition anyway, for

the sake of Bell Cranell and her "little sister" from her former faction,

Ishtar Familia.

Asfi stared into the blackness of the path down which Gale Wind had

disappeared, pining after the impossible in spite of herself.

"I thought she'd calmed down…Did I simply underestimate her

tenacity when it comes to the Evils?"

It had happened in an instant.

The moment Lyu glimpsed the group of adventurers attempting to

escape at the far end of a passage filled with swarms of monsters, she

had changed completely. Her sky-blue eyes had widened in fury while

she emanated an air of intimidating bloodthirst that overwhelmed

even Asfi. Then the elf chased after her fleeing targets without so

much as a backward glance.

"It must have something to do with Astrea Familia's history…"

Evils' Remnants lingered on in Knossos, even aside from the

diabolical hunters.

These were the residual forces of the Evils who had brought an age of

darkness to Orario and had been nearly wiped out five years earlier.

Knossos suited them well as a hideout, for the Guild had been unable

to capture them here.

Gale Wind's connection to these Evils was deep. She—Lyu Leon,

member of the justice-seeking Astrea Familia—was undeniably tied

to them.

The adventurers had fled in terror…Had her foe been among them?

"The flames of revenge are burning you, Leon…Will you succumb to

them once again?"

No one was there to answer Asfi's mumbled question.

In the dim, man-made dungeon, she narrowed her eyes in pity.